So first off lets talk about who starts, as there still are a couple positions where there are some questions.
Unfortunately there are now questions all over the back line. Jonathan Spector's form has dropped significantly since his stellar run of form this time last summer, but veteran Steve Cherundolo can capably step in and its pretty close to securing the spot on Saturday. What Cherundolo lacks in size he can make up with offensive ability, experience, and agility Right back is settled. Against the US's three previous opponents the US back line has included, in the middle, Clarence Goodson, and while he has performed admirably, he wasn't brought to the World Cup to start. Jay DeMerit has struggled without his buddy Oguchi Onyewu in the middle. According to Bob Bradley, all 23 players are fully fit and ready to go 90 minutes, and the vibe I'm getting from press reports is that Onyewu and DeMerit have looked sharp in training. But Onyewu's lack of playing time over the last few matches is worrying. But if Bradley was just saving a fully fit Onyewu for England, then more power to him. Jay DeMerit is a better player with Onyewu partnering him in the middle, as it leaves less for him to worry about in the air and can thus concentrate on his 1v1 defending, which is where he exceeds. Carlos Bocanegra is a lock at left back as Bornstein's limited minutes have only cemented his innate ability to create chances for the other team.
In midfield things are a bit more settled, with the exception of who starts next to Michael Bradley in central midfield. My favorite to start was Maurice Edu, but with Ricardo Clark getting starts in the last two games with the full team and Edu not seeing anytime at all, that kind of tells me that Clark will get the start. That's all well and good, I just think Edu is better defensively and has good positional awareness. More so than Clark at least. I expect Jose Torres to play some kind of part against England. Perhaps after Bradley and Clark wear down Carrick and Lampard a bit, Torres can be brought on to sit in behind Bradley, allowing him to push forward into the attack and Torres to control possession and distribution. Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are shoo-ins to start on the flanks as Dempsey wasn't effective up top against Turkey and played well against Australia (when he wasn't being hacked down). Holden and Beasley are first options off the bench in the wide areas and Maurice Edu could have a minor part to play. Benny Feilhaber seems to have lost his former role to Torres, but still remains a viable offensive threat off the bench in a pinch.
Up top I'd like to think Jozy Altidore is good to go, and according to everyone including the man himself, he is ready to go. Who partners him is a whole other story. The popular pick is Edson Buddle, who displayed his attacking prowess against Australia. He was physical and was knocking down balls well and controlling traffic up top. That leave Robbie Findley as the speed option off the bench and Hurculez Gomez retains his role as the super-sub. Findley played well against both Turkey and Australia, however, he showed his ass against the Aussies after missing two open net opportunities, which CANNOT happen against a team like England.
Therefore that leaves us with this formation.
-----------------------Howard
Cherundolo-----DeMerit-----Onyewu-----Bocanegra
-----------------Bradley-------Clark
Donovan-----------------------------------Dempsey
-----------------Buddle-------Altidore
I'll be back tomorrow for an England preview. Good night to you all.
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